Beyond the Classroom

Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society

Students meeting the high standards of the National Communication Association are inducted into Gallaudet's chapter (Iota Nu) of the Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society on an annual basis. Once a student is inducted into Lambda Pi Eta he or she is a member for life. A student pursuing a minor in communication studies may be inducted into Lambda Pi Eta if all the academic requirements are met. All Communication Studies majors and minors have access to the LPH/Iota Nu Blackboard site.

In recent years Iota Nu Officers hosted a "meet and greet" for COM faculty and students, this included a fun trivia game to see how much students knew about COM faculty, with first, second, and third place winners. Iota Nu members and students in the COM 493, Senior Seminar did a service-learning project with Donate Life. We collected over 200 signatures and information from Gallaudet students, faculty/staff and guests so they could be added to the organ donor registry in D.C. or their home states. In earlier years, 2005-2009, officers of Iota Nu have hosted a Communication Studies Alumni Panel, a pizza party for students and faculty, and a welcome back party. Meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis. Contact any of the current members or Faculty Advisor Lillie Ransom for more information or if you have ideas for other activities.

Service Learning in Communication Studies

Service-Learning is a blending of community service and academic/course work. This pedagogy is used in many colleges and universities across the United States, and since 2005 it has been incorporated into some sections of the Communication Studies Public Speaking course. Students enrolled in these sections have the opportunity to serve/volunteer with local non-profit agencies, learn more about the community surrounding Gallaudet University, and to give one of their required presentations for a new audience while also meeting other requirements of the course.

Internships

Students who major in communication studies are required to do an internship for career exploration, job experience, and/or the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained in the major. Students can earn up to three credit hours toward the major requirements through internship. Outside the major, students may earn additional course credits for internship as well. To qualify for major credit, students must complete a learning contract and report regularly on their experience per the guidelines of the Career Center and Department of Communication Studies.

Many of our students take advantage of Gallaudet's location in the nation's capital to find a variety of internship opportunities. Some have completed their internships abroad, and some at locations throughout the U.S. A sampling of internship sites from the recent past include:

Deaf related associations, such as TDI and the World Federation of the Deaf

Government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Census Bureau, and Federal Communications Commission

Law firms

Not-for-profit organizations such as United Cerebral Palsy and the Whitman-Walker Clinic

Not-for-profit businesses such as Amtrak and the National Captioning Institute